Ringing In the New Year
by imagineaislings
Summary: James and Lily's first Christmas/New Years together. Lily takes control. JPLE. Oneshot.


Those few days between Christmas and New Years were never dull, not at Hogwarts. While fellow students were at home with family, being force fed turkey sandwiches, the seventh year Gryffindors were roaming the halls of the castle, giddy with excitement. It had been Sirius' idea, to stay at school over break. Last year together and all that – Sirius wasn't one for sentimentality, but even he had to admit that this felt important. He used the Christmas dinner at the castle as his excuse for wanting to stay.

Lily agreed to stay because she really, _really_ didn't want to have to put up with Vernon and Petunia's disgustingly lovey-dovey performance. Also, she didn't want to miss the chance to put on her own disgustingly lovey-dovey performance with her boyfriend; first Christmas together, mistletoe kisses, sharing blankets, the lot. Lily said she was staying for the Christmas dinner as well.

James was desperate for an excuse to stay at the castle and jumped at the idea when it came to Sirius. His parents had booked a shudder-inducing "Winter Wonderland Holiday Cruise" to Merlin knows where, and James had no problem reimbursing them for his ticket. James wanted, needed to get Lily under the mistletoe. She hadn't exactly been distant, but she seemed... wary. And James understood, he really did. He'd been a horrible git to her, to everybody, for just under 5 years, and Lily had just begun to let her guard down around him. He had to earn her trust and he was working on it. But he really wanted those Christmas kisses.

He didn't get them, bless him. He put in a valiant effort, but Lily saw what he was up to and became adept at dodging anything with even the appearance of a mistletoe branch.

It's not that she didn't want to kiss him, Merlin did she want to kiss him. It's that she was scared. This wouldn't have been her first kiss, not by any means; it wouldn't have even been her first kiss with James. Her first kiss with James had been... rushed. Frantic. Wild and impulsive and _needy._ Lily didn't like being needy, so she avoided kissing him. Not completely, she wasn't Superwoman, but when it mattered. When there was the potential for _more._ Merlin, there was almost always the potential for more.

She started to feel bad for the poor sod. What kind of girlfriend was she, she wouldn't even kiss him. She wanted to kiss him! He wanted to kiss her! She knew his mates had noticed as well, although they never said anything. Right. Lily decided to pull up her socks, put on her big-girl cloak and _kiss him._

He'd all but given up, and she didn't blame him. His attempts were feeble and half hearted but Lily was happy because at least the effort was still being put in.

The day of New Years Eve felt different. The air was electric. Charged. Or maybe that's just what Lily was feeling. She was nervous, blimey was she nervous. Not that she _really _had anything to be nervous about. James wasn't going to reject her, he'd probably start foaming at the mouth.

All the students that had stayed at Hogwarts over break were gathered in the Great Hall. Ten minutes till 1978. Lily slipped into the hall, not quite unnoticed, but with nothing more than the occasional nod thrown her way. When she found James, unsurprisingly flanked by Sirius, Peter, Marlene and Merlin knows how many others, she just walked up to him and slipped her hand into his. He looked down at her, startled, but pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head, surprised and relieved that she'd shown up at all, let alone leaned into him so calmly.

They stood like that chattering with other students about the next year, their last year, until the countdown began. Lily braced herself, calmed herself down, counted down with the rest of the hall. They shouted "ONE!" the fireworks went off, everyone laughed and cheered and kissed, and Lily turned to James. Grabbed the back of his neck (aggressively, maybe too aggressively). Stood on her tiptoes and pulled his head down (he stumbled, he was caught off-guard). She kissed him (he kissed her back). Hard. In front of everybody. In the middle of the Great Hall.

No one took any notice (why would they, everyone was kissing). Well, Sirius noticed. He elbowed Remus. Remus elbowed him back and told him to leave them to it. They did.

James was the one who broke the kiss. He pulled back, flushed, breathless, with swollen lips. He looked down at Lily (she was flushed, breathless, swollen-lipped). He laughed. She laughed. He leaned down to kiss her again. Softly. Sweetly.

They bumped into Sirius on their way back to the Common Room (goodness knows where the others had gone).

"Happy New Year indeed, eh Prongs?"


End file.
